CONTENTS

i.repetition & repetition & 3pronounce 4Fame Food & Liquor 5god made the hundreds, man made it wild 6Harold’s Chicken Shack #1 7Granddaddy was the neighborhood 8buying new shoes 10Chicago high school love letters 11out south 12palindrome 13Foot Locker 141st love song to the black girl at smart camp 15niggaicouldhavebeen #1 16candy store 17Chicago high school love letters 19the break 20Harold’s Chicken Shack #35 22learning gang handshakes 23hood woods 24

ii.Mama says 27Ragtown prayer 30in the land where whitefolk jog 32Chicago high school love letters 34landing 35Alzheimer’s 36on being called a nigger in Ann Arbor, MI, on

South University Street by a drunk ticket scalper 37

© 2015 Nate Marshall. All rights reserved.

viii

Chicago high school love letters 38prelude 39Indian summer 40when it comes back 41pallbearers 43Chicago high school love letters 45praise song 46

iii.the last graduation 51the first graduation 52Harold’s Chicken Shack #86 53directions 54off white 55juke 57church in the wild 58Chicago high school love letter 59picking flowers 60undress 61cut 62recycling 63repetition & repetition & 65

Acknowledgments 67

© 2015 Nate Marshall. All rights reserved.